Domestic sales fell after the national consumption tax was increased April 1, but the decline was offset by brisk demand in North America and the effects of the weaker yen against the dollar, among other pluses.

After a post-recession earnings plunge, Toyota was able to lower its break-even point markedly, and it reorganized in ways meant to bolster the competitiveness of its products and improve overall quality.

World Health Organization statistics show Japan reported 5.2 traffic deaths per 100,000 people in 2010. ITS Japan Chairman and Toyota technical advisor Hiroyuki Watanabe hopes to reduce that to below 2.6 by 2018.

Toyota sold 665,740 hybrids in the year’s first six months, 4.1% ahead of last year's record pace. Honda followed with global sales of 158,696 units, a 105.8% spike, while Hyundai jumped 33% to 27,118.

More than two-thirds of all Japanese-brand models sold in Europe now are produced there, an industry group says. Imports from Japan fell to 371,576 units in 2013, down 8.2% from 401,870 compared with prior-year.

Indonesian vehicle sales through June rose to a record 641,511 units, up 6.2% from the first six months of 2013, with the industry calling for full-year deliveries of 1.25 million. In Thailand, first-half 2014 sales plunged 40.5% compared with year-ago.

A Japan Magnesium Assn. official predicts demand will grow 3% to 4% over the next five years thanks to a new alloy mix incorporating calcium, making it possible to die-cast magnesium components on the same line as aluminum parts.

Goldman Sachs also predicts global light-vehicle sales will grow 3.4% annually over the next six years to 104 million units in fiscal 2020, up from 82.4 million in 2013 and a projected 85.1 million in fiscal 2014.

Jatco is producing about 1,500 units of the second transmission in its CVT8 Hybrid series monthly, but plans to raise output to 4,500 units per month by 2016, with its Aguascalientes, Mexico-based subsidiary accounting for almost all of the growth.

The knowledge gap already could be affecting sales of advanced-technology vehicles, which last year accounted for 3.5% of the nearly 17 million cars and trucks sold in the U.S., according to WardsAuto data....More

“Logically, Cadillac is not disconnected from GM,” the longtime luxury executive says. “The way we want to organize the business in the future is that Cadillac will own the entire process, all the things that touch Cadillac.”...More